Telugu actor Jayaprakash Reddy passes away
Amaravati: Veteran Telugu stage and film actor Jayaprakash Reddy died of heart attack at his residence in Guntur on Tuesday. He was 74 and survived by wife and a son, family sources said. He collapsed inside the bathroom on Tuesday morning and breathed his last.
Jayaprakash Reddy, popularly known as JP, began his career as a school teacher. His passion for acting drove him towards the stage and he played varied roles in countless dramas. He then attracted the attention of Telugu film industry and a variety of roles came his way.
Be it a hardcore villain or a comedian, JP fit into the roles with effortless ease and enthralled the audience. As a villain, he earned a unique identity speaking the Rayalaseema accent of Telugu, a novelty that became his USP and elevated the typical 'Seema' factionist.
JP acted in more than 100 films along side the top heroes of Telugu films like Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, Nagarjuna, Venkatesh, Pawan Kalyan and Mahesh Babu. He also acted in a few movies in Kannada and Tamil.
His last film was 'Sarileru Neekevvaru' in Telugu, produced by Anil Sunkara.
Though busy as a movie actor, JP never quit the theatre and actively continued playing roles in stage dramas. He performed a monologue as Alexander and won wide appreciation.
He also started the JP's Monthly Drama Sabha In Guntur city and encouraged theatre.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, film personalities and others expressed grief over JP's demise.
"Jayaprakash created a special place for himself in the film land through his inimitable dialogue delivery and mannerisms," the Chief Minister said in a statement. Chandrababu Naidu said JP's death was a deep loss to the Telugu film industry.
"Telugu theatre has lost a father-figure," he added. They extended sympathies to the bereaved family.
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Malegaon blast case: After repeated warnings, Pragya appears before court to record statement
Mumbai, Apr 25: BJP's Bhopal MP Pragya Singh Thakur, who is an accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, on Thursday finally appeared before a special court here to record her final statement in connection with the case.
On several occasions in the past, Thakur had failed to appear before the court on the grounds of medical illness. This prompted the special court to issue a warning, saying if Thakur fails to appear before it on April 25, then she would face action.
On Thursday, Thakur appeared before the special court hearing cases probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), but claimed she was still unwell.
Thakur submitted to the court her statement in a question-answer format. She also filed an application seeking permission to put her thumb impression on the statement as she was unable to sign the paper due to sudden loss of strength in her palms.
The court permitted the same.
Thakur, along with six others, is facing trial in the case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Explosive Substances Act, Indian Arms Act, and Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
The court is currently recording the statements of the accused under Section 313 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). These are final statements of the accused before final arguments are made and the case is closed for judgment.
Special court judge A K Lahoti posted the matter for further recording of the statement on Friday.
Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped on a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a town about 200 km from Mumbai in Nashik district of north Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008.
The case was initially probed by Maharashtra's Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) before being transferred to National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Last month, after she failed to appear before it, the special court had issued a bailable warrant against Thakur. She later personally appeared before the court, following which the warrant was cancelled.
The court in the past had warned Thakur of action when she failed to appear before it to record her statement.
